Heyside shock final favourites with terrific show to lift Tanner Cup

HEYSIDE ON A HIGH . . . players celebrate Tanner Cup final glory.

WHAT is it about the Tanner Cup and Heyside?

The Little Hey Street club lifted the coveted piece of silverware for a eighth occasion with an emphatic 70 runs win at home to favourites Norden.

Ryan Barnes' men were simply too good for their Pennine Cricket League Premiership colleagues.

Although a total of 220 for nine was probably 30 or so runs below what they would have expected after being 99 without loss at the halfway stage of their 50 overs, Heyside held sway after reducing Norden to 52 for five.

A sixth-wicket stand of 50 between Greg Butterworth and Simon North gave the title challengers hope, but the left-arm spin of Declan Wilkinson put paid to the pair.

A shoulder injury which forced man-of-the-match Wilkinson off the field, sustained in the process of catching Steve Pimm off his own bowling, was the only dampener on a glorious afternoon for the hosts.

The start provided by Heyside's top four batsmen should have been the launchpad for a big score.

After three ducks in a row, Wilkinson hit form with 63 and opening partner Barnes made 46.

When the partnership was eventually broken by North, professional Bilal Khiljee took up the mantle with 49, while No. 4 Max Power was stranded on 33 not out.

SHACKLES

From 199 for three, though, Heyside slipped alarmingly.

Dominic Humphreys and North especially applied the shackles with a good length and at a pace which meant the batsmen had to throw the bat at the ball.

Three of Humphreys four wickets (for 44 runs) came in the last over as Matt Chadwick, Matt Robinson and Danny Cashin succumbed.

A dream start with the bat for Heyside was followed by an even better one with the ball as dangerman Josh Tolley and Rehan Udwadia fell to Khiljee with 25 runs on the board. Trapped in front on the back foot, Udwadia turned to walk even before the umpire raised his finger.

It got even better as Cashin and Scott Bloor removed Humphreys and Ashley Gowers respectively. Gowers was unfortunate as the ball kept desperately low - a feature of the Norden reply - and he took his frustration out on one of his gloves which he smashed on to the roof of the dressing rooms.

Bloor, who bowled unchanged, also removed Harvey Fitton in figures of two for 28.

While Butterworth (38) and Norden legend North muffled the home fans' cries of delight for a time, when the latter departed for 21 the former soon went the same way.

Skipper Hashum Malik and Martin Smith, the former Oldham pro, tried to salvage some respectability, but it was Heyside's day . . . and night.

It was left to Chadwick, who scored for Ashton United against Hednesford in the Evo-Stik Premier Division 24 hours earlier, to finish off the job by removing Smith for 24.

Scores -

Tanner Cup final: Heyside 220-9, 50 overs (D Wilkinson 63, B Khiljee 49, R Barnes 46, D Humphreys 4-44), Norden 150, 41.1 overs (G Butterworth 38, D Wilkinson 3-22).

* REACTION and more pictures in Thursday's Chronicle.

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